


Erased: Ghost Protocol

by HQ_Wingster



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game), Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detroit: Become Human Fusion, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Androids, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bigotry & Prejudice, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Development, Character Study, Choose Your Own Adventure, CyberLife (Detroit: Become Human), Developing Relationship, Deviancy (Detroit: Become Human), Friendship, Gen, Look At Your Life Look At Your Choices, Moving On, Multi, Non-Graphic Violence, Other, Past Lives, Past Relationship(s), Psychological Drama, Rating May Change, Self-Discovery, Self-Reflection, Unresolved Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-06-25
Packaged: 2019-05-28 14:32:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15051236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HQ_Wingster/pseuds/HQ_Wingster
Summary: [System Instability: 37%+]My name is Yuuri. I am an android designed by Dr. Chulanont.These words were everything. They were the simple truth when a derived conclusion paled in comparison. These words were the only thing Yuuri could count on as he watched a roadmap of intricate trails and triggers, connected to the black-and-white joints of every choice that’d later decide his fate, fill in the gaps of his memory.My name is Yuuri.A few seconds passed as Yuuri’s eyes surveyed what he had done.I am…If there was such a thing as a pause in an android’s program, did it mean deviancy? The word tasted foreign over Yuuri’s tongue, though he had heard the term thrown around the lab before. He had touched it with his own fingers, etched across the headline of a newspaper when another death spilled blood over Detroit.I am...A flickering, red LED illuminated the shadow of Yuuri’s face when he turned his head. He couldn’t meet the human’s eyes when they gave him an order. His eyes searched elsewhere for a possibility that was almost tangible in his reach.





	Erased: Ghost Protocol

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Feu_Eau](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Feu_Eau/gifts), [rinsled05](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rinsled05/gifts).



> Welcome to my first ever crossover fic between Detroit: Become Human and Yuri!!! on Ice. This story takes place eleven months before the canon storyline of the game, so there’s definitely no spoilers in this little project. If you’re wondering, but I’ll be going in-depth with some worldbuilding concepts to see where things will and might go later on.
> 
> This is a “choose my adventure” style-fic. A few days before I began writing, I posted a poll of a few questions so that readers can vote on how they’ll like the story to go. So in a sense, the peeps on my blog voted on how the events will go, how characters will be developed, and if we’ll get a good ending or not. Just to name a few things that may or may not have happened.
> 
> Other than that, the story is pretty straightforward, so let’s begin.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _ “For the past ten years, I’ve spent the pleasure of creating more than just an android to present to all of you today. Yuuri’s not just a machine.”  _ A pause as Phichit felt true to the words bubbling within him.  _ “He’s my friend.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ Results of Poll #1 and author’s commentary ](https://yuuris-piano.tumblr.com/post/175170816221/story-poll-1)
> 
> It really fits with this chapter if you listen to  [ this song ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TakXNakZA3E&list=LL1ay1IwgbQtTRLBi3jBftDw&index=2) while reading. Adds a different dimension to the words on the screen.

**_[January 23rd, 2038 - 8:37 a.m.]_ **

The arctic chill set her thermostat below freezing point when the humans and androids came out to play. Enough, where the drizzle for the past week turned to muck before snow fell as innocently as it did before the storm. Where humans bundled to their day-to-day activities, an endless cycle between downstay and protocol, while androids bore the bite of an inevitable frost. For the time being, the common etiquette was on-hold as service androids bundled under coats, scarves, and hats before the morning toil. Two exceptions were proposed: _their LED had to be visible and the signature of their armband couldn’t be hidden._

It was a switch that the silent majority played a part of, folding the crease of a beanie upwards to reveal the blink of an LED. Stretch the limits of a neon blue armband, felt the constrict of the upper arm as _‘blue blood’_ trickled slower than usual in that particular spot. Even so, it was nothing to fret if there was still a flow.

With a snow shovel in hand and a command from an owner or more, the service androids painted the gray and white of downtown Detroit. With splatters of blue and the mist that slipped from between their lips at a moment’s breath.

A few stations were set up around the city, facilitated in service-dominated areas where most androids felt the wear-and-tear of every movement in the cold. The orange-tinted tents were pitched. Small and few between in the major sites around Detroit, but they offered a gentle haven when the arctic chill stunted a gesture or when internal heating components shorted due to the frost. Unfolding the flap of one of the tents, an android immersed themselves into hot steam and received warm compressions. Tucked within a coat, against the neck, under the armpits, and cradled against the core to maintain the health of its biocomponents before another dive into the snow.

Squatters occupied some tents. The homeless and chiseled faces from before the technological jump crowded these tents. Taking what they could and left nothing back, where volunteers were forced to shake their heads when new androids spilled into the tents for comfort. And then, the new visitors were forced to turn away and look elsewhere.

Sometimes, they sought warm areas occupied by humans. Sometimes, a disguise could only go so far.

From high upon his perch, gazing down at the splattered defeat of his kind, Yuuri tilted his head as his eyes followed a peculiar android. She didn’t wear an armband, nor was she doing anything service-related like her fellow sisters or brothers. She had come from the darkness, bundled under the thickest furs that a human could procure. Accentuated an appeal that drew eyes and turned heads from a few male patrons when the female android slipped into a coffee shop.

To the humans, she fitted in. To Yuuri, he could make-out the difference between her biology and that of the humans she walked passed.

The pressure of her Thirium 310 spoke of nervousness _\--of hints of fear that didn’t hinder her gait._ Yuuri rested his arms against the gated ledge of his perch, watching like a god as the situation played out. Whether an argument had begun before the android’s arrival, or if one escalated _upon_ her arrival, something happened. Perhaps, the android did something wrong. Perhaps, someone recognized her and called her out on her bluff. Nonetheless, not two minutes later, the female android was left wandering in the dark.

Bits of her breath unfolded its wings and polluted the busy streets. Barely a cup of coffee in hand, keeping her digits from locking over, when she drew back her bangs and disappeared into the darkness once more. No purpose to define her for she carved it out with a knife, but the blade had two sharpened ends.

The cost of her identity shrouded the android back into mystery, and Yuuri had a choice. He could choose to keep this event in his memory, or he could throw it away. _What to do?_ Yuuri drummed his fingers against the frozen, metal ledge with a triplet rhythm to keep him busy.

He saved the event, stored it in a folder within a network of other folders that no one else could reach. Dubbed _‘Room 19’,_ for no other purpose other than the oddness of the number and the intrigue it left over Yuuri’s lips when he mouthed the folder’s name. It was a space within his program where he could be himself. Where he could truly take-in an environment and a myriad of choices kept his program _livid_ as every possibility was almost tangible beneath his fingertips.

The LED on Yuuri’s right temple blinked yellow, shortly, as his vitals flashed before his eyes. He bundled deeper into the scarf Phichit had given him, and the fuzzy material tickled the tender folds of his cheeks. A little piece of paradise in a world that would render him obsolete if they knew of his origins. Such fear didn’t interfere with Yuuri’s mission, staying silent and out of trouble, as Phichit marked the beginning of a long, overdue job interview.

If it amused Yuuri _\--or, if it dawned on him that he could drown at the morning traffic--_ he could’ve tapped into the mic that Phichit had clipped onto his shirt collar before he went into the interview room.

Came to Phichit’s mind, about a week before today, as a heartfelt _‘thank you’_ for everything Yuuri had provided for Phichit during their decade together. From when Yuuri first spoke with an unprompted message on a command line, to the day Yuuri opened his eyes for the first time after his database and memory were computed, and to now. Even now, Yuuri surprised and helped Phichit in more ways than the scientist could ever dream of when Yuuri first came to him in a dream before ambition bled onto a blueprint.

 _“All week, you’ve heard me prepare for this day,”_ Phichit had said. He and Yuuri were in the CyberLife elevator at the time, a mere ten minutes before Phichit stepped into an office room and disappeared in front of Yuuri’s eyes. _“It wouldn’t feel right to me if you couldn’t hear what I’ll be saying. About you,”_ Phichit added, slipping out from his scarf and bundling it around Yuuri’s neck. Covering the bottom portion of Yuuri’s face until Yuuri poked his nose out from the fabric.

His voice was muffled, but still audible to Phichit’s ears. _“Thank you.”_

Many choices and possibilities entered Yuuri’s mind before he picked those two words. He felt inclined to act a bit cold, act a little more _‘machine’_ than what Phichit was used to. Just to remind Phichit that in a facility like CyberLife, it wasn’t a wise idea to seem friendly to an android. As much it had made Yuuri blink before he responded with what he said. Nevertheless, if he were to answer in that way, it’d lower the confidence that Phichit had built for himself.

He was scared, shaking when he grasped Yuuri’s arm and held him close. The CyberLife elevator was made of glass, at least this one, and anyone could’ve seen their embrace. Phichit didn’t care. He had his friend. He had Yuuri.

It took a moment as Yuuri registered the dopamine that had released upon skin contact. It took ten seconds before Yuuri’s arms lifted from his sides and wrapped around the frame of Phichit’s body. It took a few squeezes until Yuuri felt comfortable with what he was doing. After a rolling motion of the light within his LED, Yuuri felt himself melt against Phichit’s embrace. A perk of a smile stenciled over his lips as he gradually sank into Phichit’s touch.

Even to this moment, under the mercy of Detroit and her winter, Yuuri could close his eyes and feel the lingering warmth that Phichit imparted on him. It was a memory that Yuuri tucked into _‘Room 19’_ so he could treasure it when he was alone. Replaying the footage, the touch, and the little sound of Phichit nuzzling his cheek against his coat prompted Yuuri to return to his post.

He pulled his arms away from the balcony ledge, somewhere on the thirty-eighth floor of CyberLife, and his mind switched to the network connected to Phichit’s mic before the first step was taken.

 _“...For the past ten years, I’ve spent the pleasure of creating more than just an android to present to all of you today.”_ Phichit had ways of weaving his narrative, and he went for one that only the heart could comprehend. _“Yuuri’s not just a machine.”_ A pause as Phichit felt true to the words bubbling within him. _“He’s my friend.”_

The board of interviewers _\--one of a few reclined in her seat, a perk of her brow when her lips parted--_ seemed unamused. A spike in Phichit’s heart rate when one of them scribbled down a note along the margin of his survey before he glanced up, pressed Phichit with a smile that held its worth in deception. Perhaps, Phichit could’ve chosen a more professional introduction. Considering this moment wasn’t too far off from his first interview, with the very same individuals that stared at him now. Perhaps, they had forgotten Phichit’s name, but he never forgot theirs when they turned his job application away.

Phichit had changed since his twenties. He took a step forward. Closer to the arena, closer to the edge of what he was comfortable with, but Phichit felt sure of himself as he rested his hands along the curved office table. The glint of the morning sun illuminated behind the interviewers’ heads. Fixed upon the beauty that brushed Detroit with a single stroke, a playful smile tugged the corner of Phichit’s lips when he found his bearings _._

“Yuuri 1.0 _is_ the new face of the caretaker android industry.” The hook had been set and nibbled upon, and Phichit slowly reeled his line. Walking smoothly, back and forth, as his fingers trailed behind as they etched their marks along the office table. “He is specialized and trained to discern over four-hundred and fifty mental disorders, how to localize treatment that can ease the stress of a patient, and provide a touch of comfort to who he treats.”

“He’s a medical android, so what?” On the left wing of the interview table, a woman overlapped her fingers when she caught Phichit’s gaze. She pressed a kiss against what appeared to be her wedding ring before she lowered her hands. Eyes narrowed at Phichit when she reclined in her seat. “CyberLife has already provided androids into the medical-community. What sets Yuuri 1.0 apart?”

“Thank you for asking.” A skip to Phichit’s stride when he re-centered himself in the room. His chest swelled with a sort of parental pride, as if Yuuri was his child. From the other side of the office door, Yuuri’s eyes widened a tad when he heard the utmost care in Phichit’s words. “I wanted to create a personal android, whose personality was shaped of where his patient was coming from, and would keep track of his patient’s daily progression during their recovery.”

For a moment, there was a dullness to Phichit’s eyes when a cloud passed by the sun. The shadows patched a network across his face. The interviewers considered this, writing down their notes with the swivel of a ballpoint pen, before glancing up. A very personal space _\--a ‘room’--_ had enveloped around Phichit when his posture began to slacken. Ever so slightly. Even from behind a door, Yuuri could sense Phichit’s stress levels. They weren’t high, but the percentage steadily grew as Phichit wove through a patch of memories that he and Yuuri had dealt with in the past.

The memories felt more alive with every second, but Phichit remained calm. This touch of emotion _\--as informal as it was in front of the individuals he may have to call ‘boss’--_ was what sold his performance.

“When a patient meets Yuuri 1.0 for the first time, the nature of his personality and actions serve as a complement to his patient’s for easier interactions. A patient can input boundaries and triggers into his program, and Yuuri will never cross them. It’s his promise, as a medical personnel, to maintain and build a healthy relationship that’ll benefit his patient’s recovery.”

Notes were taken. Perhaps, a twist of a heel as an interviewer kicked off her shoes and felt the velvet-finish of the carpeted floor beneath her toes. A steady tap that maintained her disposition when the folded the corner of her notes. “How is this information processed and stored within its system?”

There was a moment of hesitation when Phichit registered the _‘it’_ that slipped from the interviewer’s tongue. But the moment was small and short-lived, easily brushed off for now when Phichit continued his presentation.

“I could use words, or I could show you.” Phichit tilted his head to the side and extended his right arm. On cue, the office door opened and Yuuri walked into the room. Free of his coat and of Phichit’s scarf, Yuuri looked like any other android. Assembled and shipped right from CyberLife into the flourishing markets that would take them in. Perhaps the interviewers expected a bit more metal and bolts to Yuuri’s design, not the seamless transaction of one foot in front of another.

The signature armband around his right, upper arm glowed as brightly as any other. The same shade of blue as well, a nice touch that was also transferred into the triangle insignia pinned to the left of Yuuri’s chest. His LED was apparent to the interviewers, but his eyes were only on Phichit. He met the gaze of the man that knew him since the beginning, and Yuuri’s mind switched from _‘Room 19’_ to a folder titled _‘Phichit’._

While everything remained the same, a smile curved the bottom of Yuuri’s lip before he glanced elsewhere. Perhaps, a little bit awkward after everything Phichit had said about him. It was a touch of humanity that didn’t go unnoticed by a peculiar interviewer on the left wing of the office table.

“Yuuri, would you like to introduce yourself?” Phichit reached out his hand, and Yuuri held it when he approached Phichit’s side. Phichit stepped back a little, giving Yuuri the majority of the attention when he scanned every face in the room.

Files pulled from the internet, LinkedIn profiles from God knew when, business deals and transactions were pulled for every face pulled under Yuuri’s microscope. Just the basics were available on short notice, but they cultivated the basic rundown Yuuri stored within seven different folders outside from Phichit’s. Each titled with an interviewer’s name, and information fed into these folders through a pipeline in Yuuri’s programming when he blinked.

“My name is Yuuri.” The greeting came out as simply as reciting the temperature this morning when Phichit struggled to find his pants in the darkness. “I am an android designed by Dr. Chulanont.”

He bowed his head. A sliver of his bangs tickled the bridge of his nose before Yuuri lifted his head. The interviewers seemed impressed. Awestruck that somehow, a homemade scientist managed to create a machine that could perfectly blend into CyberLife’s inventory. It was a feat that no one had expected, and Phichit’s smile was as charming as lit light bulb when he picked up the jaws of his interviewers and tucked the segment back against their mouths.

“Within Yuuri’s memory, he creates folders for every patient that’s under his care. Seamlessly, he can balance them within his program and switch without any issues if he’s holding a conversation with all of them.”

“Can we see this in action?” prompted an interviewer. Giddy, as he scooted closer to the edge of his seat to inspect Yuuri. Fascinated as to what comprised Yuuri of his biology, and the interviewer’s finger inched towards his pen. As if it was a scalpel to slice Yuuri open and to find what ticked him inside.

Phichit stepped forward, resting a hand over Yuuri’s shoulder. “Yuuri, can you please create a new folder for this interview?”

“What should I name the folder?” There was a subtle shift in Yuuri’s tone when the question flew from his lips.

“Please name the folder _‘Demo’._ Thank you.” Covering half of his face with his hand _\--although Yuuri wasn’t looking at him--_ Phichit whispered, _“For now, it’s best if only one of you speaks. It’ll be difficult for Yuuri’s program to calibrate the information he’s receiving if more than one person participates.”_

A willing participant came forth for the demo, and Yuuri studied her a little more than he had the opportunity to do so. Sitting on the left wing of the office table, free of her heels and resting her chin over her hands, Ms. Angela Steele perched her fingers carefully so that the signature bulge of her wedding ring was reflected in Yuuri’s eyes. The diamond meant nothing, but it spoke of prosperity and financial stability that heeded to Angela’s every beck and call when she so desired. That much, a few symptoms were sorted in a box within Yuuri’s program at this sudden display of vanity.

A simple flick of her locks signaled a sort of sexual appeal that would arouse an individual if they stood in Yuuri’s shoes, but he simply blinked back. A polite smile situated over his lips when he noticed that Angela’s stress levels were simply in the single-digits. Nothing to raise alarm to. Extra stimuli such as the cold and perhaps the weight of holding a smile stressed a few limits of the body, but nothing to be concerned as of yet.

“Introduce yourself, android.” Angela tapped her pen against her notes, watching for the slightest hint of a change in Yuuri’s face. “Identification?” A slight lift to her voice when Yuuri turned his head away. His LED was yellow, processing something better left unsaid. Angela turned her attention back to Phichit. “Has this function been tested beforehand?”

“Yes,” Phichit said. He laughed a bit, as if this was an inside joke. “When Yuuri creates a new folder, he prefers to observe his subject in order to have a basic outline of their character before he makes the first move.” Phichit shook Yuuri gently on the shoulder, as if coaxing him to relax and to be as sociable as memory served. “Please, Ms. Steele, prompt him one more time.”

Angela narrowed her eyes before she shifted her focus back onto Yuuri. Yuuri was looking at her. Lips slightly parted, engrossed in his analysis before Angela prompted once more. “Who are you?” She shifted her logs, crossing one over the other. “What is your mission?”

At the end of the question, Yuuri’s LED shone blue when he, too, narrowed his eyes. Ever so slightly before he bowed his head. Enough, where his back arched with him. “My name is Yuuri, and I am a self-care android. My mission,” Yuuri lifted his head and a wink softened his face, “is to understand the mental landscape of Ms. Angela Steele.”

Angela hid her smile behind her hand, but her fingers were space apart for Yuuri to catch a portion of her grin. “My God, It’s already scratched the surface of what I like.”

“Yuuri gathers information through--” Phichit closed his mouth when Angela lifted a finger and prompted him to shush it. For a moment, she had forgotten that anyone else was in the room with her when Yuuri looked at her. So innocently like a naive machine that couldn’t judge a human’s character. Oh, that captured Angela’s attention as her fingers tiptoed across her side of the table. Drawing a whirl of yellow from Yuuri’s LED when he processed this new action from her.

Their exchange was short-lived, not enough where Yuuri could accurately deduce if Angela had something on her mind. Though at times, the excessive display of vanity and the coyness of her eyes elicited an uneasy reaction from Yuuri. Where often, his responses came off as wispy and pittering along the edges. Unsure of how to map himself through the conversation without damaging Angela’s emotional and psychological well-being, but he reached the end without too much trouble hovering over his shoulders.

As he reviewed the information he had gathered, a warning notification flickered behind Yuuri’s eyes. A list of new possibilities revealed their doors to him, and Yuuri froze at his options. Every choice felt scandalous if it ever left his tongue, and Yuuri kept in mind that he wasn’t alone during this demonstration. While he and Angela spoke, the other interviewers monitored his responses and his mannerisms. Perhaps, to use for or against Phichit if this interview was had a smooth finish as it did in the beginning. The pressure was on, whirling a yellow light in Yuuri’s LED when he tore his gaze from Angela for a moment to survey the rest of his--

“Yuuri, I have a favor to ask of you.” It was the first time Angela referred to him by his name. “I’m speaking to you.” A snap of her fingers to draw Yuuri’s attention, but he didn’t give Angela what she desired. Yuuri stared at the board of interviewers, wondering who would speak first to quiet Angela. It seemed dubious that someone of her ill-temperament and unruly behavior would’ve been called for as an interviewer unless…

 _She was meant for Phichit._ The blinking cursor of Yuuri’s code paused at the end of a line, unsure of where to go next. It was irrational to believe that the job committee would’ve brought an ill-suited interviewer to push Phichit to the limit, but it wasn’t far from what a company would do if they didn’t desire an individual who wanted them back. It was a corrupted play on CyberLife’s part. Something at their disposal if they chose to enact on it when Yuuri finally reeled his attention towards Angela.

He had a series of physical tests to perform. Each of which, a program within Yuuri’s system suggested for him to fail at certain intervals. Merely to observe how Angela handled inaccuracies and as an undertone, to protect Phichit from securing employment in a company that was more than willing to deny him like they did before. If Phichit were to be accepted, he wouldn’t reach his full potential as the scientist Yuuri knew him as. This was the sacrifice Yuuri was willing to commit, shouldering the faults meant for Phichit when smiles turned to frowns along the board of interviewers.

Phichit had one more question before the end of the interview, before he had a chance to test the fullest extent of Yuuri’s capabilities in a training ground against another android if need be.

“How did you create Yuuri 1.0, Mr. Chulanont?” A simple question warranted nothing more than simple response if Phichit played his cards right when he teetered between two choices.

“Do you mean his blueprint or--?”

“It’s not every day that a person would commit ten years of their life to create an android, a CyberLife-esque android at that.”

Not a pen was lifted, not a chance that Phichit’s answer would be documented. Yuuri wasn’t so certain when he ran a scan of the room. It was too easy to let Phichit go if he responded in how the interviewers wanted him to.

“If I dedicated all that time into creating Yuuri, wouldn’t it be a fair conclusion that I wanted to heighten my chances of being employed here?” Phichit raised an eyebrow. Knock on wood in his favor when the rising sun reflected back within his eyes.

When the interview was finished, when Yuuri was allowed to leave and he waited outside the office door for Phichit, there was one more question proposed in secret. Yuuri didn’t hear the question, but he heard Phichit’s response through the mic connected to his program.

 _“Deviancy? What you all saw is built into Yuuri’s software,”_ Phichit said. A click from his tongue at the end of his phrase. _“His has to be flexible.”_

 _‘Flexible.’ ‘Deviancy.’_ Simply words in the greater scheme that puppeted Detroit with every move, and a new path opened to Yuuri when he tasted _‘deviancy’_ over his tongue.

**Author's Note:**

> I’ll be posting new polls a week after I post every chapter to ensure that voters have an idea of where the story is before they cast their votes into the ballot. Come by to my tumblr next week for the new poll.


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